Am I AN Anarchist, A Christian Or Both ? Can They Coexist In One Person ?I
Recently I have been asking myself this question, after some self-exploration the answer was quite revealing not to mention surprising, have you ever asked this of yourself ?
Today I watched a new broadcast, I saw a family home that got bombed and a 4 year old child getting badly injured, I could not help but think to myself....."Governments Did This" think about it, politicians sit in their high and mighty seats and make decisions for finance, peace and war, they are not the ones getting their houses and families blown apart ! Its the poor innocent family trying to have a meal, playing in a park or just resting and watching television, Im sure if you asked them if they wanted to bomb anyone today they would ask you if you were crazy.
What Is An Anarchist ?
Anarchism is opposed to states, armies, slavery, the wages system, the landlord system, prisons, monopoly capitalism, oligopoly capitalism, state capitalism, bureaucracy, meritocracy, theocracy, revolutionary governments, patriarchy, matriarchy, monarchy, oligarchy, protection rackets, intimidation by gangsters, and every other kind of coercive institution. In other words, anarchism opposes government in all its forms.
Anarchists believe that the point of society is to widen the choices of individuals. This is the axiom upon which the anarchist case is founded.
If you were isolated you would still have the human ability to make decisions, but the range of viable decisions would be severely restricted by the environment. Society, however it is organised, gives individuals more opportunities, and anarchists think this is what society is for. They do not think society originated in some kind of conscious “social contract”, but see the widening of individual choices as the function of social instincts.
Anarchists strive for a society which is as efficient as possible, that is a society which provides individuals with the widest possible range of individual choices.
Now I challenge you to look deep within yourself, do you see any of this in your nature ? how do you feel about it ?
What Is A Christian
A Christian believes in Jesus Christ, the fact that he was born, died for our sins and was risen again and then ascended into heaven, we believe in God, a christian believes that the bible, better known as the word of God is 100% true and correct and the standard by which we should live out lives, we also believe it is the 100% authoritive word of God, A true Christian is a person who has put faith and trust in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
Christians and all man kind for that matter have been given free will, this is declared in the bible, free will that governments often rob us of, Christians are also against much of what anarchists are against such as capitalism, oligopoly capitalism, state capitalism, bureaucracy, meritocracy, theocracy, revolutionary governments, patriarchy, matriarchy, monarchy, oligarchy, protection rackets, intimidation by gangsters, and every other kind of coercive institution and then some
The only real difference I feel is that Christians are in favour rightous government and submitting to those who are in authority over us, this combind with order, so it brings me back to my original question, am I an Anarchist, a Christian or Both ?
I Believe I Am Both Just Another Part Of My 50 shades ! - How About You ?
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Fortunately there is one form of government that is better than even anarchy.
That's what coming.
Purely speaking my opinion:
The short answer...I see it possible to be an anarchist and a christian.
However, with the goal of anarchism being 'freedom and self-responsibility' I can see how some might defer pieces of these to the religious organization. This is where I see the split between spirituality (self reflection, emotional connection and feelings, etc.) and religion (the methodology/organization used to achieve spirituality.) I'm by no means bashing religion here, I just see these and distinct.
So after my long answer...being an anarchist and a spiritual person (who happens to use christian vernacular) I absolutely see no issue.
Being an anarchist and a christian, I have to say it depends on that individuals relationship to the church.
Things being dogmatically accepted without further thought, seem just as problematic as being indoctrinated by a government that frames information and produces propaganda. (i.e. Things are believed simply because they said so.)
Like everything else, it's about personal responsibility and freedom, which requires access to information and analysis.
Just my take :)
I Like your take on it and the more I look at it the more possible it seems to me
No where in the Christian religion does it preach to bow to a governmental power. Jesus does say to give unto Caesar what is Caesar's, but that is a reference into the idea that the soul/body is not of Caesar's. So where you say that Christians are in favour of a righteous ruling power, I would have to disagree and say that it would be the individual who is in favour of such - not the Christian.
Here's how the Apostle Paul put it, writing during a time when Nero was emperor of Rome:
"Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. For the one in authority is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God's servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.
This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor." - Romans 13:1-7
I stand corrected, though I must point out that the Bible has been completely rewritten to suit the will of the Catholic church, which would of course cover subservience.
No, it hasn't. We have 5600 manuscripts, some dating back to within a generation of the authors. The Catholic church evolved several hundred years later. By then there is no way anyone could track down all those manuscripts and change them. Incredibly, they all match although they have been collected from all around Europe and the Middle East.
Further, the Dead Sea Scrolls date to 200 BC and were discovered in caves in 1947 and were no different from modern copies of the Old Testament over 2200 years.
You can compare the King James and 24 other translations, most from the original Greek and Hebrew at this convenient website: http://biblehub.com/john/3-16.htm. While the choice of synonyms varies slightly, they generally match in meaning well enough to leave no doubt about who Jesus and his apostles were and what they did and said.
We also have the writings of the early church fathers, quoting those scriptures. Those quotes match the Bible we have today remarkably well and collectively they provide independent checks on almost all of it.
None of them leave any doubt about the fundamental message of Christianity.
These manuscripts you refer to have been brought under strict lock and key IMMEDIATELY by the Papacy. Sure, they may release some of what they have, but the archives that they hold are unimaginable.
They feed us what they want us to eat as they have the only source of food in this manner.
And what have you to say of the King James Bible? Was that a part of the original manuscripts? And how about of the Book of Enoch? Was that not a part of the Dead Sea Scrolls?
This is not exactly accurate. Bart Ehrman is the leading expert on the NT. You might consider watching some of his debates as well to see how the Christian historians all agree with the findings but they disagree that it should have any effect on a Christian after hearing the NT has been altered an innumerable amount of times.
This information is taught in seminaries and they have known it for over 300 years.
I believe the 5,600 manuscripts are all from around 800AD and forward and no two of them are identical. Out of 5,600 you cannot find two that are identical.
We have no original manuscripts of the NT. We have no original letters of the NT either. The oldest are very small sections, some the size of a credit card.
Hey @alchemage it does teach that we are to submit to those in authority over use would you not say that then would be government ?
Quotes?
1 Peter 2:13–25
Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover–up for evil
This is the part that clears the whole stanza up. It is saying to not use violence against those who see themselves as the "true authority," but rather live without rulership and to not use this idea to spill blood in the name of your liberation.
Thank you for a great article something I never considered.
great piece @mrgrey
@sethlinson had a similar blog yesterday about how he's a feminist, anarchist, and a christian and how he mentally deals with the contradictions. I left this Walt Whitman quote for him there: